


Supposed Ghost Stories

by greekowl87



Category: The X-Files
Genre: F/M, Halloween
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-31
Updated: 2017-10-31
Packaged: 2019-01-27 06:50:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12576108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greekowl87/pseuds/greekowl87
Summary: Mulder and Scully spend Halloween graveyard hunting and swap ghost stories and run into one particular ghost.





	Supposed Ghost Stories

**Author's Note:**

> . I also Tim Burton’s _Sleepy Hollow_ , don’t you?  Set season six before ‘How the Ghosts Stole Christmas.’ Ever wonder why Mulder stole Scully’s keys in that episode?
> 
> Happy Halloween :)

Mulder shivered in the car of their rental as Scully passed him a fresh cup of hot coffee in a thin paper cup. He forgot how cold New England Halloween’s could be, even beneath his jeans, long sleeve shirt, and heavy leather jacket.

“Turn up the heat, Mulder,” she murmured. “It is freezing in here.”

Mulder adjusted the temperatures on the heat as Scully sighed and leaned back in the seat. She closed her eyes, shivering trying to imagine herself physically fighting off the fall cold before she opened her eyes and took in the scene before her. Near to full moon that lit up the sky and stars everywhere. The abandoned dirt road which their car sat on was surrounded by eerie moonlight and fog. Essentially, it was the makings of a horror movie, Scully thought.

“Why did I agree to do this?” she questioned after a moment before turning to look at him.

“What?” he asked innocently. He attempted to bury himself in his coat. “Graveyard hunting?”

“Yes. I do not specifically recall you mentioning the exact terms. I do, however, recall you saying to the effect of ‘Scully, want to do a historic tour on Massachuttes?’ when you asked me to come up here.”

“What? We aren’t on a case. As far as I am concerned it is just two friends enjoying Halloween. Ghost hunting. In graveyards.”

“Do I need to remind you we have a bad track record of casual outing in New England? You and your cockroaches three years ago and me with that doll thing last year in Maine?” she questioned. “I thought maybe, I don’t know, something like 'Hocus Pocus.’”

“Salem. You wanted to go to Salem and see the museum?”

“Not necessarily. But is in a town with stuff to do and not on some side of the road in the middle nowhere.” She huffed her cheeks. “So where are we exactly, since you know, we might as well make the best of it.”

He smiled. This is one of the things he loved about her. She would always come with him, no matter where obscure place he would go. He gently took her hands and squeezed it affectionately. Scully closed her eyes at the contact of the instant warmth that came from him, wishing for him not to let her hand go. “Well, just for the record, I do appreciate you following me up here. I just wanted to let you know that.”

She gave a snort and a small smile. “You know it is just to ensure I save your ass again.”

“Always, Scully.” He released her hand. “Spooky tonight, isn’t it?”

She chuckled and narrowed her eyes in thought. “Is that the best pick up line that you have, Mulder?”

“I got more of them.” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively. “But seriously, there used to be this old graveyard that Sam and I went to the Halloween before she was taken. It was one of those ghost tour things but I just can’t seem to find it, honestly.”

Scully gave a soft smile, touched. “Well, what other crazy Halloween traditions did you all have? I’ll give you one of mine. When all of us were old enough to trick or treat, mom would make us do these group costumes. One year, we all were the Jetsons. Bill was George, Missy was Jane, I was June, and Charlie was Elroy.” She chuckled in memory. “The wig I had to wear. Oh my god, I hated that thing. It was one of my grandmother’s, I’m positive.”

“Baby Scully as Judy Jetson,” Mulder repeated disbelievingly.

“Mom has a picture. We can stop by at her home in Baltimore on the way back and I’ll prove it.”

“You have a deal,” he laughed. “Sam and I never did anything like that but one time. She was three and I seven. I was Yogi Bear and she was Boo Boo. After that Halloween, I vowed to do my own costume every year. I’ve always loved Halloween though. That Halloween, I read her Washington’s Irving "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and she wanted to go look for the headless horseman. So instead of going trick or treating, we went to a graveyard to look for it.“

"But isn’t it Sleepy Hollow technically in New York and not Massachuttes?”

“Very good,” he smiled. “And yes but I wasn’t going to ruin that for her. It actually is a Germanic myth that goes back to the middle ages. But Irving tale explains the Horseman was a Hessian mercenary from the Revolutionary War who had his head taken off by a cannonball.”

“And did you find it?”

“No, but I scared her real good like a big brother is supposed to.” His smile faded. “That was the last Halloween we spent together before she was taken.”

A comfortable silence settled between them. Scully glanced at the clock on the dash. “What do you say we head back to the hotel, Mulder? It’s one a.m. We can get some gas station grub and watch "The Blob” till sunrise.“

"What? You don’t want to see if any ghosts come a calling?” He was already turning the key on the car, restarting the idle engine back to life.

“I’m freezing, Mulder. My toes are ice cubes.”

“I wanted to do something fun with you this year,” he replied, “especially after last year.”

The unspoken silence about the cancer.

“Well, unofficial ghost hunts may be fun, but what is, even more, fun is a warm hotel room and scary movies. Come on, Mulder.”

Mulder switched the car into gear, gently easing off the gravel shoulder and back on the fog covered road. “It’s a pity really. Tonight’s weather makes a perfect atmosphere.”

“I would rather watch a movie than experience it tonight. We’re off the clock, remember?”

“Fine, fine,” he conceded.

Mulder began to speed up slowly, wary of the fog and woods and the chance a stray deer barreling into their car. Scully leaned forward to switch on the radio on but frowned when all she could hear was static. “Hm. That’s strange. We had a radio signal out here when we first arrived.”

“Probably the weather.”

As they drove cautiously along, with only the silence and the sound of the engine, hanging in between. But then the neigh of a horse that was loud, clear, and echoed otherworldly. Mulder glanced at Scully and slowed the car to a stop. “Do you think…”

“No. It is a ghost story, Mulder. That’s all.”

They heard the neigh again, closer and louder this time. She was the first to get out of the car, with her gun and flashlight in hand. “Scully!” he called as she slammed the car door and walked in front of the headlight purposefully.

Grabbing his own flashlight, he stood out in front of the headlights, shining his own flashlight out into the dark night. They heard a horse’s neigh again. It was coming closer. Mulder’s hairs were standing on end and, while it was highly likely it was nothing, he reached for his own gun. “It’s probably a figment of my imagination.”

“A figment that we’re both hearing?”

Now they could hear galloping, the rhythmic noise of horseshoes cobbling the asphalt. “Mulder,” she said cautiously. Her blue eyes darted to him. “This isn’t funny. Stop joking around.”

“Scully, this isn’t me, I swear it.”

As the galloping came closer, she raised her weapon. “Stop! I’m a federal officer!”

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “What good is that going to do?”

She flared her nostrils, smelling sulfur. What was burning? In a flash that blinded them, she saw the outline of a headless figure and a black horse. “The fuck…” Mulder began.

The headless figure swung a cavalry saber skillfully as the horse neighed loudly, standing on his hindquarters. Without thinking, Scully emptied her entire magazine into the figure which seemed unaffected by the hail of 9mm bullets from her sig.  Mulder grabbed her forearm forcefully and pushed her to the passenger side of the car. “Get in, Scully. Just get in!”

Not being needed to told twice, she rushed into the car as Mulder jumped into the driver’s seat and slammed the gas. He maneuvered the car in quick j-turn as they sped the opposite way down the road. Scully kept looking behind her for the headless rider but saw nothing.

“Mulder,” she breathed. “I think it’s gone.”

“I’m not going to stop driving until we’re back at the hotel.” He gritted his teeth. “I swear I had nothing to do with that. I honestly do think that was the horseman.”

“Mulder that is a legend, a ghost story that is told on Halloween.”

“Well, what was tonight?”

Scully arched an eyebrow. “Mulder, that is crazy. Just because it is Halloween…”

“Makes sense, Scully.”

“I don’t know what the hell we saw but it was not the headless horseman!”

“Suit yourself, but I’m not stopping until we get back to the hotel. Speaking of hotel, do you mind if I spend the night with you?”

“What? Ghost story scare you, Mulder,” she teased. Truth be told, she was shaken up herself and thought it was a good idea. The look he gave her indicated he was completely serious. “Well, I suppose a sleepover and horror movie night might be doable.”

“Well, then we better stop off and get some candy just to be safe,” he said cautiously, easily navigating the heavy air still in between them.

“Yes,” she agreed. After a moment, she spoke once more. “Mulder, the next time you ask me to go on a ghost hunt with you, you’re going to have to steal my car keys in order to make me.”

“I’ll remember that, Scully,” he answered, his thoughts already rolling in his head for what he could plan for her at Christmas.


End file.
